Awards and honors
 | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2010) |
| 1963 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | George Wilson |
| Home field | Tiger Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–8–1 |
| Division place | 4th (tied) NFL Western |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 1963 Detroit Lions season was their thirtieth in Detroit and 34th overall. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle indefinitely suspended Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras and Packers' halfback Paul Hornung for placing bets on NFL teams. Five other Lions players were fined $2,000 each for betting on games that they did not play in. The Lions franchise was fined $2,000 each on two counts for failure to report information promptly and for lack of sideline supervision. [1] The gambling controversy proved to be a big distraction on the field as well, as the Lions could not build on the success of the previous season, finishing 5–8–1.
On Thanksgiving Day in Detroit, the Lions met the Packers for the thirteenth consecutive season. The game ended in a tie, the first for the Packers in five years, [2] and it was the end of the holiday series for Green Bay. Their visit to Tiger Stadium the following year was on a Monday night in late September, and the visiting opponent for Thanksgiving was rotated, starting with the Chicago Bears.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | 12 | Daryl Sanders | Offensive Tackle | Ohio State |
Paper Lion, published in 1966, is a non-fiction book by prominent American writer George Plimpton. Plimpton pitched to a lineup of baseball stars in an All-Star exhibition, presumably to answer the question, "How would the average man off of the street fare in an attempt to compete with the stars of professional sports?" He chronicled this experience in his book, Out of My League. In Paper Lion, Plimpton joins the training camp of the 1963 Detroit Lions on the premise of trying out to be the team's third-string quarterback. (The coaches were aware of the deception; the players were not until it became apparent that Plimpton did not really know how to receive the snap from center.) Plimpton, then thirty-six, showed how unlikely it would be for an "average" person to succeed as a professional athlete. When finally inserted at quarterback for a series in a scrimmage conducted in Pontiac, Michigan, Plimpton managed to lose yardage on each play, convincing many in the crowd that he was a professional sports clown inserted for amusement purposes, not someone who was genuinely giving his best effort.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 14 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 23–2 | 1–0 | 49,342 |
| 2 | September 22 | at Green Bay Packers | L 10–31 | 1–1 | 45,912 |
| 3 | September 29 | Chicago Bears | L 21–37 | 1–2 | 55,400 |
| 4 | October 6 | San Francisco 49ers | W 26–3 | 2–2 | 44,088 |
| 5 | October 13 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 14–17 | 2–3 | 27,264 |
| 6 | October 20 | Baltimore Colts | L 21–25 | 2–4 | 51,901 |
| 7 | October 27 | Minnesota Vikings | W 28–10 | 3–4 | 44,509 |
| 8 | November 3 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 45–7 | 4–4 | 33,511 |
| 9 | November 10 | at Baltimore Colts | L 21–24 | 4–5 | 59,758 |
| 10 | November 17 | Los Angeles Rams | L 21–28 | 4–6 | 44,951 |
| 11 | November 24 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 31–34 | 4–7 | 28,763 |
| 12 | November 28 | Green Bay Packers | T 13–13 | 4–7–1 | 54,016 |
| 13 | December 8 | Cleveland Browns | W 38–10 | 5–7–1 | 51,382 |
| 14 | December 15 | at Chicago Bears | L 14–24 | 5–8–1 | 45,317 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 7 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 37 |
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
at Tiger Stadium, Detroit, Michigan
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Chicago Bears | 11 | 1 | 2 | .917 | 10–1–1 | 301 | 144 | W2 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 11 | 2 | 1 | .846 | 9–2–1 | 369 | 206 | W2 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 7–5 | 316 | 285 | W3 | |
| Detroit Lions | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 4–7–1 | 326 | 265 | L1 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 4–7–1 | 309 | 390 | W1 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 5–7 | 210 | 350 | L2 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 1–11 | 198 | 391 | L5 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
| Detroit Lions roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends | Offensive linemen Defensive linemen | Linebackers Defensive backs Special teams | Reserve lists
rookies in italics | |||
| | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2010) |
The 2000 season was the Green Bay Packers' 80th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 82nd overall. It was the first season for which Mike Sherman was the head coach of the team. Sherman was the thirteenth head coach in franchise history. The Packers finished 9–7, failing to qualify for the playoffs. Both the Packers' total offense and total defense ranked 15th in the league.
The 1994 season was the Green Bay Packers' 74th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 76th overall. The Packers finished with a 9–7 record for their third straight winning season. 1994 marked the first of 8 seasons in which Packers' quarterback Brett Favre would throw more than 30 touchdown passes. It also marked the second season in which he started all 16 games for the Packers, starting a record-breaking starting streak which would continue throughout his career. This was the final season that the Packers played at Milwaukee County Stadium; they played home games exclusively at Lambeau beginning in 1995. Three Packers had the distinction of being named to the NFL's All-Time 75th Anniversary Team: Reggie White, Don Hutson, and Ray Nitschke. After defeating the Detroit Lions 16–12 in the NFC Wild Card Game, the season ended in a 35–9 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in an NFC Divisional Playoff Game.
The 2000 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 69th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 64th in Washington, D.C. The team was looking to improve on its 10–6 mark from 1999, which saw the Redskins win the NFC East for the first time since 1991 and win a playoff game for the first time since 1992. Norv Turner returned to lead the team for a seventh season.
The 1964 Green Bay Packers season was their 46th season overall and their 44th season in the National Football League. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Vince Lombardi, and tied for second place in the Western Conference at 8–5–1.
The 1962 Green Bay Packers season was their 44th season overall and their 42nd season in the National Football League. The team finished with a 13–1 record under coach Vince Lombardi, earning them a first-place finish in the Western Conference. The Packers ended the season by defeating the New York Giants 16–7 in the NFL Championship Game, the Packers second consecutive defeat of the Giants in the championship game. This marked the Packers' eighth NFL World Championship.
The 1957 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's eighth season in the NFL. Coming off a 5–6–1 record in 1956, the 49ers tied for the best record in the Western Conference at 8–4.
The 1994 Detroit Lions season was the 65th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Lions finished with a 9–7 record and made their second consecutive playoff appearance as one of the NFC's Wildcard teams—the first time the franchise had made the playoffs in consecutive non-strike seasons since 1954.
The 1967 New York Giants season was the franchise's 43rd season in the National Football League. The Giants improved from 1–12–1 the previous season to 7–7, and finished in second place in the NFL Eastern Conference/Century Division.
The 1995 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 46th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 50th overall.
The 1993 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 44th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 48th overall. The 49ers appeared in the NFC Championship Game for the second consecutive season and for the fifth time in six seasons. For the first time since 1979, Joe Montana was not on their active roster; specifically, the 49ers had traded him away to the Kansas City Chiefs in April.
The 1981 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League (NFL), and the 14th overall. The team won their first AFC Championship, but lost Super Bowl XVI to San Francisco.
The 1990 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 23rd year in professional football and its 21st with the National Football League (NFL). The Bengals won the AFC Central division for the second time in three seasons.
The 2000 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 33rd year in professional football and its 31st with the National Football League. Corey Dillon would rank fifth in the NFL with 1,435 rushing yards and set a franchise record for most rushing yards in one season. On October 22, 2000, Dillon set a franchise record by rushing for 278 yards in one game. After being shut out in two of their first three games and a home loss to the Browns 24–7 in week 1, Coach Bruce Coslet resigned; he was replaced by former All-Pro Detroit Lions DB and Bengal defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. Under LeBeau, the Bengals dropped their first three games, with an eventual long losing streak finally coming to an end on October 22 against the Denver Broncos at the new Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals defeated the Broncos 31–21 as RB Corey Dillon set a single-game record by rushing for 278 yards. The Bengals used it as springboard to win their next game in Cleveland despite not scoring a touchdown. The Bengals offense would continue to struggle as 2nd year quarterback Akili Smith, the team's No. 1 draft pick out of Oregon, was overwhelmed by the NFL game. Corey Dillon set a team record by rushing for 1,435 yards, but with Smith's struggles as starting quarterback, the team floundered with a season-ending record of 4–12.
The 1942 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 13th season in the National Football League. The Lions suffered the first winless season since Cincinnati went 0–8 in 1934. This was the first NFL season during U.S. involvement in World War II, which led to player shortages, and thus a depletion of talent. The Lions were hit especially hard by the loss of star halfback Byron “Whizzer” White and tackle Tony Furst. Head coach Bill Edwards was sacked after three games, but the decision had no effect on the Lions’ fortunes.
The 1960 Detroit Lions season was the 27th in the Motor City, and 31st season overall in franchise history. The Lions had only one win entering November, but had only one loss in their final seven games and finished at 7–5, one game short of the Western Conference championship. However, the Lions won the inaugural third place Playoff Bowl over the Cleveland Browns at the Miami Orange Bowl.
The 1962 Detroit Lions season was the 33rd season in franchise history. In one of the best regular seasons in their history, the Lions posted an 11–3 record (.786), but finished two games behind the eventual NFL champion Green Bay Packers in the NFL Western Conference. It was the third straight season the Lions finished as runner-up to the Packers in the West. Entering the final weekend, Detroit was one game behind and had won seven consecutive, but were shut out 3–0 by the Chicago Bears. The Lions' three losses, all on the road, were by a total of eight points.
The 1964 Detroit Lions season was the 31st in Detroit and the 35th in franchise history. They finished at 7–5–2, fourth in the Western conference.
The 1965 Detroit Lions season was the 36th season in franchise history. Harry Gilmer replaced George Wilson as the Lions head coach. The Lions failed to improve on their 1964 record of 7–5–2, finishing at 6–7–1.
The 1976 Detroit Lions season was the 47th season in franchise history. After the first four games of the season, Rick Forzano resigned under pressure of owner William Clay Ford, and was replaced by one time Brigham Young University head coach and Lions assistant Tommy Hudspeth. In spite of a stellar season by quarterback Greg Landry, that year's NFL Comeback Player Of The Year, the team was still mired in mediocrity, finishing 6–8.
The 1967 Detroit Lions season was the 38th season in franchise history. On August 5, the Lions met the Denver Broncos in the first inter-league exhibition game. The Broncos beat the Lions 13–7 to become the first AFL team to beat an NFL team.